The faces of many Little Snakes in Slytherin changed. The fact that Hogwarts recruited Muggle-born students already made them feel quite uneasy.
And now, they were actually letting Muggles into the school directly?
Had Dumbledore gone senile?
However, despite their dissatisfaction, they only dared to glare faintly at Mr. and Mrs. Granger.
After all, Headmaster Dumbledore and Amanda were right beside them.
None of them wanted to lose House points, let alone be dealt with by someone.
They hadn't forgotten the last time Amanda raised her wand alone to threaten all of Slytherin, forcing Malfoy to back down voluntarily.
Therefore, they definitely did not want to take the initiative to provoke this "madman" who was very likely to act without regard for consequences.
To a certain extent, they still had to practice self-preservation.
Hermione was a Gryffindor student, so Mr. and Mrs. Granger were naturally led by Headmaster Dumbledore to sit at the very front of the Gryffindor Table.
Amanda watched Mr. and Mrs. Granger sit down and nodded to them. "Auntie, Uncle, I'll head back to the Ravenclaw Table first."
"Alright, eat more. Look at how thin you are."
Mrs. Granger responded with a smile, reaching out to gently pinch Amanda's thin arm as a gesture.
"I'll try my best."
Amanda replied in a cold, indifferent voice, then turned and walked back to sit at the Ravenclaw Table.
Headmaster Dumbledore walked up to the Staff Table and raised his hands to draw everyone's attention.
"Today, Hogwarts welcomes two guests, Mr. and Mrs. Granger. They will stay at Hogwarts to spend Christmas with their daughter, Miss Granger."
As soon as Headmaster Dumbledore finished speaking, enthusiastic applause rang out in the Great Hall.
The Gryffindors showed a welcoming attitude because Hermione was one of their own, so everyone welcomed her parents.
The Ravenclaws, upon hearing that these two adults were Hermione's parents, subconsciously shifted their gaze to Amanda. After seeing her clap and reacting to it, they immediately followed suit with applause.
The enthusiasm of their applause even faintly surpassed that of Gryffindor.
As for the Hufflepuffs, since everyone in Ravenclaw was clapping, they followed along.
The Little Badgers were used to following the Little Eagles; following the top students was generally never a mistake.
The Slytherins had gloomy expressions; it was already good enough that they didn't speak up.
Clapping was absolutely out of the question for them.
As the applause died down, Headmaster Dumbledore said with a smile, "Continue eating."
The Young Wizards in the Great Hall continued their lunch. The Little Snakes even intentionally sped up their eating, picking up their luggage to catch the hogwarts express as soon as they finished.
Merlin's beard, letting two Muggles into Hogwarts—what on earth was Dumbledore thinking?
They were definitely going to tell their families all about this news once they got home.
Amanda, who was lowering her head and eating lunch seriously, was completely unaware of the Slytherins' disdain and early departures.
Mrs. Granger had just said she hoped she would eat a bit more.
After she finished her third steak, Cho Chang, who was sitting next to Amanda, finally couldn't help but press down on her right hand as she reached for another one.
"Aren't you full yet? Don't overeat."
Cho Chang spoke with a frown while using her other hand to feel Amanda's stomach.
The originally flat little belly was now bulging, clearly a sign of being overstuffed.
"You're already stuffed, aren't you?"
Cho Chang sighed helplessly and gave Marietta Eckmore, on Amanda's other side, a look.
Marietta Eckmore understood and immediately moved the plate and cutlery away from Amanda.
Watching Marietta Eckmore take away her plate and cutlery, Amanda said in a flat voice,
"Mrs. Granger told me to eat more, saying I'm too thin."
"That's Mrs. Granger showing she cares about you," Cho Chang explained patiently while slowly rubbing Amanda's stomach.
"What Mrs. Granger meant was that you're too thin and should eat a bit more within your capacity."
"But you can't eat until you're stuffed," Marietta Eckmore chimed in from the side, also reaching out to place her hand on Amanda's stomach, working with Cho Chang to gently massage it.
Cho Chang looked up at Marietta Eckmore, and Marietta Eckmore blinked.
Both lowered their heads at the same time. Fine... they both just wanted to dote on their junior.
Amanda sat quietly in her chair, her mind repeatedly processing Mrs. Granger's words and the explanations Senior Cho Chang and Senior Marietta had just given.
So... a single sentence could have so many meanings.
Amanda firmly committed this to memory; she needed to analyze what others said more specifically and in accordance with the context.
With Hermione petrified, Cho Chang and Marietta Eckmore had chosen to stay at school to accompany Amanda without hesitation.
Penelope had also wanted to stay, but she had to go home because of an emergency in her family.
In the afternoon, Hogwarts felt even more empty and vast because more than half of the students were gone.
After lunch, Mr. and Mrs. Granger went to the Hospital Wing to stay with Hermione, while Amanda went to the Library to read.
Even though it had been made clear that this was a completely different world from before, studying was already an instinct carved into her genes.
Seniors Cho Chang and Marietta Eckmore also sat in the Library to accompany Amanda while she read, but they had made an agreement with her for tomorrow, Christmas Day.
Amanda wouldn't be allowed to read or study for the entire day, and she couldn't even review knowledge points in her head.
It was Christmas Day, after all; it should be for relaxing. What would be the point if she was still thinking about studying?
Having read through the entire afternoon and evening, Amanda's state remained the same, concentrating on her studies very seriously.
But Cho Chang and Marietta Eckmore couldn't hold out. Even though they were Ravenclaws and indeed liked studying,
they couldn't withstand several hours of continuous, focused study throughout the afternoon and evening.
The two seniors only felt dizzy and lightheaded, a feeling that only slowly faded after they returned to the Dormitory and took a hot bath.
At eleven o'clock, after her bath, Amanda sat down at her desk on time, dried her hair, and took out the feather she had plucked.
Drawing her wand, Amanda didn't directly use a Transfiguration Spell to achieve her goal of making a quill.
Instead, she slowly, carefully, and seriously used her wand to assist in the design and adjustment of the feather, finally producing a quill that she deemed qualified.
This quill appeared to be a shiny black, but when you held it and began to write, the movement of your hand caused it to flicker.
The quill would switch between a faint red and black, giving it a very strong sense of mystery.
Having finished the quill, Amanda raised her left hand to check her watch. It was exactly twelve o'clock, not a second off.
She stood up and lay down on the bed expressionlessly, falling into a deep sleep the moment she closed her eyes.
In a sleep where she woke up every hour, six hours passed quickly.
Opening her eyes again, quite a few Christmas presents had already been placed by her bed.
There had been nothing by her bed the last time she woke up, so the gifts must have been delivered by Owls between five and six o'clock.
Engaging in her first thought of the day by instinct, Amanda got out of bed barefoot and subconsciously picked up the gift box labeled "On behalf of Hermione" from the pile of presents.
Unwrapping it with gentle movements, Amanda froze for a moment as she looked at the photo album in the gift box, then took it out.
Opening the album, the first thing she saw was Hermione being held in the arms of Mr. and Mrs. Granger. The newborn Hermione was tiny, but she was already very fair and pretty back then.
According to systematic deduction, traces of the current Hermione could already be seen in her features.
Continuing to flip through, a one-year-old Hermione sat at the dining table eating breakfast heartily, and a four- or five-year-old Hermione began sitting on the sofa to read books.
As she turned page after page, the entire first half of Hermione's childhood was completely presented before Amanda's eyes.
She clearly saw Hermione's growth from a young age and witnessed the joy and happiness of the first half of her childhood.
An indescribable warmth filled her heart, and her brain no longer felt the dull pain it used to; instead, waves of warmth flowed through it.
Looking at Hermione's smile in the album, it was as if she were experiencing those moments herself.
Tears slowly rolled down from the corners of her eyes, and her lips instinctively curled upward.
Is childhood... supposed to be like this?
Hermione... really is a wonderful person.
For the first time, Amanda linked the definition of the word "wonderful" in her mind to a specific person.
Flipping through the album again and again, Amanda's powerful memory allowed her to record every detail of every photograph.
By the time Cho Chang and Marietta Eckmore woke up at eight o'clock, Amanda had been looking at the album for two hours.
Cho Chang was the first to pull back her bed curtains, looking toward Amanda's position with bleary eyes.
Sure enough, Amanda was already up, smiling as she looked at a book she didn't recognize.
Wait... Cho Chang raised her hand and rubbed her hazy eyes vigorously. Was Amanda smiling?
She wasn't seeing things, was she?
As her vision gradually cleared, Cho Chang looked at Amanda's face again. Without a doubt, that was absolutely a smile!
Cho Chang took a deep breath, not daring to make even the slightest sound for fear of interrupting the smile on Amanda's face.
She didn't even put on her slippers to avoid making noise, running barefoot to Marietta Eckmore's bedside.
The just-awakened Marietta Eckmore saw someone rushing toward her in a daze and was about to open her mouth to scream instinctively.
As a result, before the sound could escape, it was forced back by Cho Chang's hand.
"Don't make a sound!"
"Wake up and look at Amanda."
Swallowing hard, Marietta Eckmore nodded obediently and slowly turned her head to look at Amanda, then couldn't help but widen her eyes in surprise.
Even her mouth opened slightly, her warm breath puffing into Cho Chang's palm.
Feeling the warmth and moisture in her palm, Cho Chang's face turned slightly red, and she immediately withdrew her hand.
Then, as if to cover it up, she made a look of disdain and wiped her palm on Marietta Eckmore's pajamas.
Marietta Eckmore turned back, her lips twitching as she looked at Cho Chang, then she mouthed a question.
"Why is Amanda smiling?"
Cho Chang shook her head and replied in the same manner, "I don't know. I just got up, and she was already smiling."
Marietta Eckmore assumed a thoughtful expression, slowly stroking her chin with her right hand.
"I think it must be because of what's in her hands."
She stood up and whispered into Cho Chang's ear.
Cho Chang pursed her lips, subtly moved a step to the side, and nodded. "I think so too."
"What are you doing? Are you disgusted by me?"
Even though Cho Chang's step was subtle, they had been friends for three full years—how could Marietta Eckmore not know her?
She moved a step closer to Cho Chang and narrowed her eyes at her.
If Cho Chang dared to say yes, she would make this girl laugh for a good half hour later.
"Cough... No, what are you thinking?"
Cho Chang waved her hand. "I'm just... just a little hot!"
"Hot?" Marietta Eckmore frowned. It was Christmas, the middle of winter, and Cho Chang said she was hot?
But thinking about it carefully... it was indeed warm inside Hogwarts, and she had been standing very close just now. Maybe Cho Chang really was hot.
With that thought, Marietta Eckmore understood. She raised her hand in an 'OK' gesture and continued to enthusiastically observe the smile on Amanda's face.
Cho Chang glanced at her secretly. There were things that felt normal before... but after a certain moment, the feeling would suddenly change.
At the moment Marietta Eckmore had opened her mouth in surprise and breathed into her hand, Cho Chang clearly felt her heart skip a beat.
She was certain that this was that moment.
But it seemed her best friend... was still far from being enlightened in that regard.
Forget it... let nature take its course. She would guide her slowly; Marietta Eckmore would have her day of realization.
Just like Hermione, hadn't she also slowly changed Amanda through the accumulation of days and months?
As for now, she would continue to enjoy her junior's rare smile.
As Amanda turned the album to the next page, both sharp-eyed seniors clearly saw the little girl's face on the previous page.
Though much younger than now, there was no doubt it was absolutely... "Hermione!"
Cho Chang and Marietta Eckmore looked at each other and spoke in unison.
"So Amanda was looking at an album of Hermione as a child while she smiled; that's not surprising then."
Marietta Eckmore murmured softly, and Cho Chang nodded in agreement beside her.
An album of Hermione as a child... no wonder it could make Amanda smile.
Hermione was petrified, so the person who sent this album could only be Mr. and Mrs. Granger.
Recalling the mother she had seen earlier who looked very wise, Cho Chang nodded silently.
Very wise indeed... by sending a childhood album, she was indirectly letting Amanda participate in Hermione's childhood and allowing her to understand Hermione better.
Wasn't this equivalent to nurturing their feelings? It seemed Mr. and Mrs. Granger were truly satisfied with Amanda.
Speaking of which... for next year's Christmas, should she give this girl... Cho Chang glanced at Marietta Eckmore, an idea slowly forming in her mind.
After looking through the entire photo album no less than ten times, Amanda finally closed it.
The smile on her lips gradually faded, and Amanda's mind returned to its calm, unruffled state.
Her whole being became "deadly silent" once more, but if one looked closely into the depths of her eyes, which had originally been as lifeless as the Dead Sea,
a few sparks of life had already sprouted, waiting only for more sunlight to shine in so they could grow and flourish completely.
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